Maineiac wrote:
Well, suh! We're going with the original patina as advised on Antiques Roadshow. The hell with it. Picked up 200' of 18-2 to rewire the mast (hopefully that's right) and some more Epifanes thinner to finish this off and paint the pedestal (white). Wife said, before leaving for the beach, that there's a Defender shipment in at the house as well. I ordered a Lewmar 16 ST for the port side coach roof to handle the main sheet and a pile of other goodies. The "Defender 1st" membership already saved me a couple hundred bucks. Now I got to find stanchion blocks for the furling gear and a ratchet block for the aft end.
I think 18/2 is small for wiring the mast. I realize that LED's do not draw much amperage, but I think that your chance of blowing a wire inside the mast is quite high in the event of a short with wire that small. I also wonder about voltage drop. Just responding to your unasked question.
Ray Durkee
Castine